Auburn outlasts No. 8 Oregon State 8-7 in thriller

For weeks many have questioned whether Auburn baseball is a national contender after facing varying levels of competition to open up the year.

Auburn (10-1) proved to the college baseball world that they are a serious threat by holding on to take down the No. 8 Oregon State Beavers 8-7 in the College Baseball Series at Globe Life Field in Arlington, TX.  

“This was a grind, but that’s what you’re going to get when you play an amazing, storied program like Oregon State,” head coach Butch Thompson said. “The ball didn’t always go our way tonight, but we found a way to get out of here with a win. You’re playing a top-10 college baseball team. It’s nice to play this game tonight. As long as we ended up winning, we can learn from it. To come out and still find a way to win, that’s positive for us.”

Auburn freshman second baseman Chris Rembert was the difference for the Tigers, going 2-4 at the plate while driving in four crucial runs including a 420-foot home run, the team’s furthest this season. The freshman continues to impress and has likely earned his spot as an everyday starter. 

The Tigers offense got going in the middle innings scoring five runs between the fourth and sixth, but Oregon State battled back scoring two runs in the eighth and ninth to make it a one-run game. In the top of the ninth, the Beavers got the tying run aboard but Auburn RHP Jett Johnston slammed the door, recording two straight outs to earn the save.

“I was just trying to do my job out there and get us a win,” Johnston said. “I was getting a feel for my pitches and what was going to be the best for me today if my moment came. It was hands down the slider today. I felt good with it in the bullpen and knew if I got an opportunity to get in the game I was going to be able to throw it for strikes and help get us outs.”

Oregon State jumped out to an early 2-0 lead forcing Head Coach Thompson to relieve southpaw Cade Fisher of his duties after only 1.2 innings of work. Thompson handed the ball to RHP Cam Tilly, who threw 2.1 innings only allowing one earned run to become the winning pitcher. 

In the home half of the second inning, Cooper McMurray and Deric Fabian worked their way on base to give Auburn an early threat. Rembert capitalized by hitting a ground-rule double to left center field to tie the game at two. 

The third frame was a back-and-forth affair. In the top of the frame, the Omaha hopeful Beavers took the lead right back with a Jacob Krieg solo shot. In the bottom half, with nobody on and two Tigers retired, catcher Ike Irish laced a triple into the left-center field gap. Irish later scored via a wild pitch to tie the game at three. 

In the fourth, the Tigers took their first lead of the game. Following a single from freshman Chase Fralick, the Tigers loaded the bases via a hit batsman and a walk. This prompted Beavers Head Coach Mitch Canham to make a pitching change, bringing in sophomore Wyatt Queen. On Queen’s first pitch, he plunked Cade Belyeu to give Auburn a 4-3 lead. 

After taking its first lead of the game, Auburn kept the bats clicking. In the fifth with McMurray aboard, Rembert stayed scorching hot, launching his second home run of the year to put Auburn up 6-3. Later in the sixth Irish kept his productive night at the plate going, driving in Eric Snow to extend the Tiger lead to 7-3. Irish then stole second and Belyeu advanced home on the throw to put Auburn up 8-3. 

In the eighth and ninth, the Beavers clawed their way back to cut the Auburn lead to 8-7. In the top of the ninth Oregon State had the Auburn faithful holding their breath. The Beavers managed to bring the go-ahead run to the plate, but Jett Johnston entered in relief and shut the door. 

The Tigers will continue their non-conference slate against Baylor tomorrow at 3 p.m. CST as they wrap up the College Baseball Series in the Lone Star State. The game is available to stream on FloBaseball.